Aaron Rodgers reflects on his Steelers season after playoff loss while dodging questions about retirement
Rodgers heads into another offseason with a big decision to make
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
3 min read
PITTSBURGH -- Aaron Rodgers will once again head into an offseason where he will have to make a decision about his future in the NFL.
Rodgers' 21st season came to a crashing halt on Monday night after the Texans scored 23 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 30–6 win over the Steelers in the AFC wild card round. The 42-year-old watched the game's final drive from the sideline after throwing a pick-six on what could possibly be the final throw of his Hall of Fame career.
"I'm not going to make any emotional decisions at this point," Rodgers said when asked if this game will impact his decision. "It was such a fun year. ... Been a great year overall in my life, and this has been a really good part of that, coming here and being a part of this team. It's disappointing to be sitting here with the season over."
Calen Bullock takes it back for six!
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Rodgers alluded to this likely being his final season shortly after he signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. There have been rumblings, however, that Rodgers might be open to playing another season for Pittsburgh given his and the team's success during the regular season, which included an AFC North title.
"Just get away and have the right conversations," he said when asked what his process will be in terms of making a decision.
While he didn't open up about his future, Rodgers did express appreciation and gratitude for what could have been his lone season with the Steelers. After two turbulent seasons in New York, Rodgers had a largely successful year in Pittsburgh that culminated with his first trip to the postseason since 2021, his second-to-last season with the Packers.
"I was fortunate to play in an incredible football city for 18 years and never took it for granted and enjoyed that time there," he said. "This has been a really beautiful backend to the first 18, to be able to be here for a year. This is a special place. It's got tradition, it's got excellence, it's got all-time greats. You just look around the stadium tonight, just to see the fans. There wasn't a big splattering of Texans fans, and there's a lot to be said for that.
"There are only a few really special places in the league that have the tradition and the town and the organization, and I'm thankful to have played for two of them."
Aaron Rodgers didn’t say what he will do next season, but he did share what this past season has meant to him. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/JsbgF4szQP
— BryanDeArdo (@BryanDeArdo) January 13, 2026
While he didn't say what he plans to do, it appears -- based on his comments this past offseason on this likely being his last season and his postgame quotes on Monday night -- that Rodgers may have very well played his final down in the NFL. If that is indeed the case, he will retire as a four-time league MVP, one-time Super Bowl champion/Super Bowl MVP who ranks fourth all time in career passing touchdowns and fifth in career passing yards.
Rodgers' final NFL game would be a forgettable one, but it shouldn't erase what was a mostly good regular season for himself and the Steelers. While he didn't have the elusiveness that he once had, Rodgers still had his moments this season that conjured up memories of his peak years with the Packers. His best moment this season was Week 18 performance against the Ravens that included his game-winning touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with less than a minute left, a moment that immediately went down in Steelers-Ravens lore.
Similar to his 2024 season with the Jets, Rodgers also had his share of games he'd much rather forget, most notably his performance against the Browns in Week 17 which led to questions about him going out of his way to prevent Myles Garrett from getting the single-season sack record at his expense.
All in all, though, Rodgers played well this season, especially for a 42-year-old who was still just two years removed from a major Achilles injury. It may have been the storybook ending he was hoping for, but there are much worse ways to end a career if the 2025 season does end up being Rodgers' last.
While it appears that he has played his final down, you can never be too sure with Rodgers, who has mimicked former teammate Brett Favre in terms of his indecision when it comes to retirement. In that vein, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was asked following Monday night's loss if he wants Rodgers to come back next season. Warren didn't hesitate before giving his answer.
"Yeah, I do," he said. "It was definitely an honor to play with a guy like that, a future Hall of Famer. I enjoyed it."
